Commuter Challenge Campaign Off to Great Start

The RTA and the Active Transportation Alliance issued a challenge to northeastern Illinois commuters last month and nearly 700 commuters and more than 30 companies rose to the challenge.

The contest, aimed at reducing single car occupancy and increasing healthier modes of travel such as transit and biking, challenged commuters to track their travel to see how they can reduce pollution, lead a healthier lifestyle and consider leaving their cars at home regularly. At least 681 individual commuters and 35 companies collectively logged more than 6,800 trips, saving 4,000 gallons of gas. That’s a $21,000 savings for the month of December. Each participant played their role in protecting the environment by preventing more than 40 tons of carbon dioxide fumes from being emitted into the air.

“We’re very excited about how this contest has engaged our regular transit riders and encouraged other commuters to leave their cars at home and opt for another form of transportation,” said Joe Costello, RTA Executive Director. “This contest has proven to be not just beneficial to the health of all of our riders but to our environment and further supports the need for us to invest in our transit system to ensure commuters continue to have a reliable mode of transportation.”

Thirty- five companies participated in the Challenge, TransitWorks, which ran from December 1-7. Companies competed against other companies based on their size and category and the company with the highest percentage of employees logging the most eligible forms of commuting miles won. Walking, car and van pooling are all travel modes promoted as alternatives to driving alone in addition to transit and biking.

Company winners by category and final participation rating were:

Ranking

Company Name

Size

Non-profit/ For-profit

Participation Rate

1

Delta Institute

5-24

Non-profit

48.7 – over 50% participation with almost 70 trips!

2

Mightybytes

5-24

For-profit

24.7

3

The Burke Group

100-499

For-profit

5.1

4

Onshore Networks

25-99

For-profit

1.9

5

Active Transportation Alliance

25-99

Non-profit

12.4

6

Global American Technology Alliances

1-4

For-profit

3.5

7

Groupon-Chicago

size 500+

For-profit

0.2

8

American Bar Association

size 500+

Non-profit

5.1

Each winning team received public recognition, a virtual winner’s certificate, and the satisfaction of being the healthiest and greenest workplace in northeastern Illinois.

Each year, the RTA’s transit system makes a significant impact on the region’s environment by saving approximately 150 million gallons of gas annually. And as saving money continues to be on everyone’s mind in this economic climate, the drive less. live more challenge is another means to encourage travelers to see the value in public transportation and other alternative methods of greener travel. Join the fun by visiting www.drivelesslivemore.com.

Press Contact

With three transit systems and more than two million riders a day, there is always something interesting going on at the RTA. Get the latest scoop on everything all in one place. For all media inquiries, please contact Susan Massel, Director of Communications and Public Affairs, at 312-913-3256 or at communications@rtachicago.org.